Saudi Arabia’s Geidea Secures National Payment Gateway Accreditation

Geidea,  the Saudi payments technology company, has announced a series of strategic developments aimed at strengthening its capabilities across the Kingdom’s digital payments ecosystem. These include securing National Payment Gateway (eMSP NPG) accreditation to process e-commerce payments through the National Payment Gateway, obtaining MPoC certification for Geidea SoftPOS, and progressing with the technical requirements to introduce Tap to Pay contactless payment acceptance on iPhone devices in Saudi Arabia.

The developments strengthen Geidea’s position across different parts of the payments value chain, combining direct connectivity with the Kingdom’s national payments infrastructure, advanced payment acceptance technologies, and a wider range of options for merchants as e-commerce and digital payments continue to grow.

“These developments are part of Geidea’s strategy to build integrated capabilities across the payments ecosystem, from transaction processing and connectivity with national infrastructure to payment acceptance technologies and the merchant experience. Securing eMSP NPG accreditation, obtaining MPoC certification for Geidea SoftPOS, and progressing the technical requirements for Tap to Pay on iPhone represent three interconnected steps in strengthening our capabilities in Saudi Arabia’s payments market. We are investing in advanced technology infrastructure that allows us to process payments with greater efficiency and integration, while continuing to develop acceptance solutions that give merchants greater flexibility and ease of use. This is underpinned by a continued focus on security, compliance, and a clear understanding of how merchant and consumer behaviour is evolving in the local market. The continued development of Saudi Arabia’s payments ecosystem is creating significant opportunities for innovation. Our role is to continue building the technologies and infrastructure that enable merchants to benefit from this shift. We see these developments as part of a long-term investment in our technical capabilities and in building local payment solutions that can support the growth of the Kingdom’s digital economy.”

– Abdullah bin Faisal Al Othman, Founder and Chairman, Geidea 

Geidea has secured eMSP NPG accreditation to process e-commerce payments through the National Payment Gateway, enabling direct connectivity and transaction processing across local and international payment networks, including mada, Visa and Mastercard.

The accreditation enables Geidea to route e-commerce transactions directly from its payment gateway to the National Payment Gateway, improving processing efficiency and strengthening its ability to manage electronic payment operations while leveraging the Kingdom’s national payments infrastructure.

Geidea plans to activate the new processing route gradually, while maintaining its existing processing routes as a backup to support service continuity and payment stability for merchants.

Existing Geidea merchants will not be required to complete new integrations or make software changes to their systems. They will continue using their existing application programming interfaces without the need to repeat integration testing.

The accreditation covers a range of e-commerce payment services, including card credential storage for future purchases, recurring payments and subscriptions, pre-authorisation of funds, in-app payments, travel-related payment services, refunds, cancellations, and transaction reversals.

The development comes as e-commerce continues to grow in Saudi Arabia. The value of e-commerce transactions conducted through mada cards reached approximately SAR 325.2 billion in 2025, compared with SAR 197.4 billion in 2024, representing growth of approximately 65%. The number of transactions also increased to around 1.77 billion, from 1.13 billion in the previous year.

As part of its efforts to expand payment acceptance capabilities, Geidea SoftPOS has also obtained MPoC certification, strengthening the company’s ability to provide smartphone-based payment solutions for merchants.

Geidea SoftPOS allows merchants to use Android devices as payment acceptance points, enabling contactless payments to be accepted directly through a smartphone without the need for traditional point-of-sale terminals or additional equipment. The solution also supports direct PIN entry on the device when required.

The MPoC certification supports Geidea’s expansion of software-based payment acceptance solutions, providing merchants with more flexible and scalable options while maintaining security and compliance requirements.

In parallel, Geidea is completing the technical requirements to introduce its Tap to Pay contactless payment acceptance service on iPhone devices in Saudi Arabia, ahead of applying for the required regulatory approvals.

The service will be launched following completion of the technical requirements and receipt of the necessary approvals, in line with the applicable frameworks and requirements of the Saudi Central Bank.

Al Othman also expressed his appreciation for the Saudi Central Bank’s continued support and guidance, commending its pivotal role in developing the Kingdom’s payments ecosystem and creating an environment that supports innovation and growth, enabling companies operating in the sector to further develop their services and solutions and keep pace with the accelerating shift towards digital payments.

He added that Geidea continues to invest in developing its technologies and infrastructure, enabling merchants to benefit from this transition while strengthening the company’s ability to provide innovative local payment solutions that meet the market’s growing needs and support the growth of the Kingdom’s digital economy.”

The service is expected to expand contactless payment acceptance options through smartphones and provide merchants with a simpler and more flexible acceptance experience, particularly for businesses looking for alternatives to traditional point-of-sale terminals.

These developments come as Saudi Arabia continues to strengthen its digital payments infrastructure and expand the use of electronic payment methods. Electronic payments accounted for 85% of total retail payment transactions by individuals in 2025, compared with 79% in 2024.

The number of electronic payment transactions processed through national payment systems reached approximately 14.6 billion in 2025, compared with 12.6 billion in 2024.

The developments are aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 and the Financial Sector Development Program, which aim to advance digital transformation, strengthen financial infrastructure, and support innovation in the payments sector, contributing to a more efficient and interconnected payments ecosystem that can meet the needs of the Kingdom’s growing digital economy.